Assignment: Train local trainers on GALS methodology and coordinate conduction of GALS by local trainers among beneficiaries of Bai Alai programme. Location: Osh city, Alai and Chon-Alai districts Assignment periods: February 03,2023–December 29,2023 Objects: In order to outreach and train more beneficiaries on GALS methodology, 25 local trainers from Alai and Chon-Alai districts were selected. They were trained on GALS tools (Dream, Journey to Dream, Happy Family Tree, Profitability Tree). Hired consultant will monitor GALS trainings conducted by local trainers and conduct ToT on the fifth tool of GALS methodology - Happy Family Diamond, and organize/conduct final conference of local trainers upon completion of tasks. Tasks: Consultant must conduct 2 monitoring visits to analyze and assess the progress of GALS trainings conduction by thelocal trainers in Alai and Chon-Alai districts; Consultant will train local trainers to the fifth tool of GALS methodology - Happy Family Diamond; Consultant must compile a database of trainees/participants of GALS trainings conducted by local trainers; Consultant must provide final written report upon completion of the contract. The report must include progress, analysis of results of GALS trainings conducted by local trainers, as well as specific recommendations on further promotion of GALS trainings by local trainers. Consultant must inform donors and participants about the program and dates of planned activities a month in advance;The consultant must organize and conduct final conference for local trainers on the results of their work. Prepare and approve conference program and list of conference participants; Consultant will monitor the work of all local trainers after the completion of the contract during 3 months period. Expected results: Local trainers are trained for GALS tool (Happy Family Diamond). Database of GALS training participants has been compiled and submitted to the Client. Local trainers have trained 450 up to 500 people on GALS tools. Final conference is held to conclude the work of local trainers. Application Procedure Applicants must send the following documents by email to begaiym.mamatova@helvetas.org and aselia.bakirova@helvetas.org no later than 12.00pm February 01, 2023. List of necessary documents for submission: CV with experience in implementing of GALS training; A letter of interest describing experience of similar tasks implementation; Commercial proposal with an indication of the cost of work (budget) including all costs associated with implementation of the above tasks and work plan (fees, logistics, necessary materials, etc.) Requirements to potential supplier: Knowledge of GALS methodology; Experience of at least 3 years of development modules and conduction of GALS trainings; Experience in working with local non-governmental organizations, international organizations (at least 3 years); Availability of a patent or certificate of registration of individual entrepreneurs, insurance policy or another type of legal registration (LLC, etc.) of the applicant; Diploma, certificate proving competence of the candidate; High level of knowledge of approaches in conducting trainings on gender issues; Readiness to field work: Osh, Alai and Chon Alai regions; Knowledge written and spoken Kyrgyz and English languages. If you have any questions, please contact begaiym.mamatova@helvetas.org, tel. +996 (550) 45-25-71 Terms of Reference
Location(s): Alai, Chon Alai districts Assignment periods: 1 February - 30 November, 2023 Tasks: Develop optimization, improvement, and promotion plan of selected tour products and further implementation of the developed. Conducting trainings for service providers along selected itineraries to improve the quality of services provided and tourism infrastructure (kitchen, sanitary facilities). Research available viable solutions to improve the infrastructure of yurt camps and guest houses. Prepare and submit an updated budget for logistics according to the selected tour products. Full package of the tour products: product descriptions, tour maps, pricing for group and individual tourists, and schedule of the planned tours. Submit written report and photo report. Expected results: The cost of selected tours are optimized for end customers - tourists and tour operators. Involved service providers along selected itineraries improved the quality of services and tourism infrastructure (kitchen, sanitary facilities). Six selected yurt camps and two tent camps have improved kitchen, installed toilets and showers to improve the quality of service and facilities for tourists. Final package of optimized, improved tour products. Analytical report on results of promotion: Google Analytics describing the dynamics of leads from potential target audience. 90% of tourists were satisfied with the quality of service and facilities of yurt camps and provided good positive feedback after the tour. Application Procedure Applicants must send the following documents by email to Beksultan.abdisalamov@helvetas.org and Aselia.bakirova@helvetas.org no later than January 31, 2023 List of application documents Letter of interest describing experience in similar assignments. Action plan, implementation schedule including detailed budget. Copies of official registration of the applicant (patent, certificate of registration). Main requirements for applicants: Active in the tourism sector at least 5 years as a tour company/orgnization Experience in developing and optimization oftour products. Experience in working with international organizations for at least 3 years. Knowledge of languages: Kyrgyz, Russian, knowledge of English is an advantage. Knowledge of the project region is an advantage. Terms of Reference If you have any questions, please contact beksultan.abdisalamov@helvetas.org and tel. +996 (550) 33-92-92
On January 5-6-7, the second winter tourism fair «Karakol Fair 2023» was held in the city of Karakol, which was timed to coincide with the New Year holidays and the peak of the winter tourist season. The place for the fair was not chosen by chance. Karakol is one of the oldest cities in Kyrgyzstan with a rich culture, which has absorbed the traditions of different ethnic groups, is the center of skiing, natural and cultural tourism. The fair presented a rich cultural and entertainment program, a unique exhibition of artisans, educational workshops, ice skating, a rich variety of national dishes and a number of spectacular concert and dance performances. Craftsmen from all over Kyrgyzstan presented their unique works at the fair, artists and museums presented historical and cultural expositions telling about the history of the Kyrgyz people, the development of winter tourism in Karakol, unique photographs of the first travelers were presented. The participants of the festival were pleased with the artists and dance groups, and such famous dishes as Karakol ashlyanfu and Osh pilaf delighted the visitors of the Ethno Vkusno food court. The gastronomic part of the festival included a grand pilaf show, where a delicious dish was prepared from the best rice grown in the Kyrgyz Republic. As part of the presentation and master class, the cultural heritage expert told the story of rice and the characteristics of its individual varieties. Ice skating lovers could spend time with children and friends on the open ice rink. Tourists were also offered historical and cultural tours around the city, which were led by experienced guides with international certification. A special place within the Karakol Fair 2023 was occupied by a photo exhibition organized for the first time from the collection of photographs and diaries of the first travelers of the Tien Shan, which opened new pages in ethnography and anthropology. The exhibition was prepared by the Center for Nomadic Civilization named after Kurmanjan Datka. The fair lasted for three days (January 5-6-7, 2023 from 11.00 to 21.00), and more than 7,000 people took part in it, of which 16% were foreign citizens from abroad. The winter «Karakol Fair 2023» will be remembered by the participants for its diversity, delicious food, sunny weather and bright emotions. This event vividly demonstrated the infinitely diverse winter tourism potential of the city. Thanks to the fair, the townspeople saw the city from a new perspective, and tourists got a great chance to discover winter Karakol and new good reasons to come back here in the future. The organizers of the winter fair «Karakol Fair 2023»: the mayor's office of the city of Karakol and the NGO «Destination Karakol». The event was supported by the Department of Tourism of the Kyrgyz Republic, Helvetas Kyrgyzstan, the Swiss project «Sustainable development of winter tourism in the Kyrgyz Republic», EU SWITCH-Asia Greentour project, the Representative Office of Rossotrudnichestvo in Kyrgyzstan, GIZ Program «Green Economy and Sustainable Development of the Private Sector in the Kyrgyz Republic». The main partner was the «Tourism Development Support Fund of the Kyrgyz Republic».
Youth United for Future project conducted its summary seminar on December 10, 2022, the event being attended by Ulanbek Mambetakunov, the Minister of Education of the Kyrgyz Republic, Almazbek Toktomametov, director of the Republican Institute for Advanced Studies and Retraining of Pedagogical Workers (RIPK), Anja de Beer, director of the Helvetas Kyrgyzstan, and parents, pupils and teachers of schools from Batken, Osh and Jalal-Abad regions. Participants discussed implementation of the project, noting its strengths and weaknesses, difficulties and opportunities for implementation. Ulanbek Mambetakunov noted that the ministry will support further activities within the framework of the project and drew attention to the creativity of the project's staff. “I would very much like the project to spread its activities, its ideas, its philosophy to all regions and schools of Kyrgyzstan,” the minister said. Almaz Toktomametov emphasized the importance of self-knowledge in human development. “The very first step of a person is self-knowledge. This is where it all starts. We have ideas to promote the project methodology throughout Kyrgyzstan,” he added. At the end, participants agreed to continue looking for opportunities for project's long-term implementation. The Youth United for Future (YOU) project aims at giving youth in the South of Kyrgyzstan perspectives and guidance to find their own personal and professional purpose in life. It also capacitates adults in constructive communication and participatory work with youth, and ultimately, it will develop practices to increase peaceful public discourse through exchange on religion and democracy on municipality level, with manifold stakeholders involved.
The event was attended by Ramis Alykulov, Deputy Director of the State Agency for Civil Service and Local Self-Government under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, Bekturgan Orozbaev, Director of the Union of Local Self-Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, and Natalie Semoroz, Head of the Department for Public Administration and Urban Development of the Embassy of Switzerland , as well as representatives of the aiyl okmotu. During the event, representatives of municipalities spoke about their experience of inter-municipal cooperation in the maintenance of municipal roads, garbage disposal, and drinking water supply. As Ramis Alykulov, deputy director of the state agency for civil service and local self-government, noted, today it is more profitable to resolve issues of local importance jointly with other municipalities than independently. “Within the framework of inter-municipal cooperation, local governments can resolve issues related to the improvement of the territory, gardening, lighting public places, construction and repair of roads and sidewalks. This leads to cost reduction and efficient use of local self-government resources. The State Agency recommends municipalities to introduce the practice of creating joint municipal enterprises to address issues of local importance,” he stressed. In turn, the representative of the Swiss Embassy, Natalie Semoroz, shared her experience of visiting the regions of Kyrgyzstan. “This year we visited several municipalities and saw how they jointly solve such important issues as garbage collection and disposal, provision of drinking water, maintenance of municipal roads. Inter-municipal cooperation in the services provision is an innovation that has not been tried in Kyrgyzstan before. Switzerland has been contributing to strengthening local self-government since 2011 and we will continue to support national and local authorities in improving the lives of the population and making people more involved in decision-making processes,” she said. Within the framework of the project Public Services Improvement Project (funded by Swiss Government), 4 models of inter-municipal cooperation were developed: garbage collection and removal (one municipal enterprise serves several districts); landfill management (several municipal enterprises operate on the same landfill); uninterrupted supply of drinking water; maintenance and operation of municipal roads. In addition, for the first time, horizontal cash transfers and budget loans between LSG bodies were tested. As a result of the project, more than 180,000 people in 23 municipalities have gained access to water supply, repaired roads, and garbage collection services. Also, economically justified tariffs and price lists were developed for the population, with a subsidizing mechanism for vulnerable groups.
BACKGROUND Helvetas is a Swiss development organization operating in Kyrgyzstan since November 1994 and implementing projects in Kyrgyzstan in various sectors. One of the current projects is a Sustainable Winter Tourism Development Project in Kyrgyzstan, funded by the Government of Switzerland through the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). From October 2021, Helvetas launched the main 4-year phase of the project, covering the period from October 2021 to September 2025 and aimed at strengthening and further sustainable development of the tourism sector in Kyrgyzstan. The main objective of the WTK Project is to contribute to increasing decent employment and income opportunities for the population, with the prospect of creating year-round jobs through the development of a sustainable value chain in winter tourism. The activities of the Project are aimed at ensuring high economic value and low social and environmental impact, improving the quality of tourism services provided in the target tourist destination, attracting more domestic and foreign tourists and contributing to an increase in the profitability of small and medium-sized businesses operating in the tourism sector. The target destination for the development of winter tourism in the main phase is Karakol destination. Helvetas/WTK announces a competition to fill a full-time vacant position of Junior Project Officer for its Karakol office. Interested persons should send a resume with a cover letter by email to Meerim.Zamirbekova@helvetas.org with a copy of kyrgyzstan@helvetas.org no later than 17.00, December 21, 2022. 1. Reporting Reporting to Project Manager 2. Key objectives A Provide support to WTK Component Leads in implementation of their respective activities B Responsible for communication and SMM duties for WTK C Responsible for logistical and administrative matters in Karakol office 3. Main tasks 1) Assist Project Manager and WTK Component Leads to ensure timely and high quality performance of all planned activities 2) Ensure fast and correct communication flow within the project and beyond; 3) Manage communication and SMM, prepare posts for the social networks of the project (Facebook, Instagram) 4) Oversee all project materials and events are in compliance with the project’s Communication Strategy 5) Responsible for event preparation and logistics: make arrangements for workshops, meetings and seminars (invitations / minutes for presentation, confirmations, etc) 6) Maintain filing documents in accordance with the approved PD Documentation System Procedure 7) Ensure organization and accessibility of information: updating, inventorying and organizing the library and documentation 8) Provide written and oral translation, whenever necessary 9) Order office supplies and stationary, photocopying, binding, filing, other small office work as needed or requested, including inventory of consumables 10) Responsible for travel arrangements and logistical support of missions, manage flight / visa / transport issues, assist expatriates / consultants / trainees / volunteers to settle and work in the country 11) Manage DHL / pouch / postal couriers and mails 12) Perform other duties as requested by the Project Manager. B) Competency profile 1. Basic education Mandatory Bachelor’s degree (university diploma) in economics, business administration, or similar domain Optional Additional training/skills improvement in the relevant fields 2. Professional experience Mandatory At least three-year experience in working with/in private sector, business development, tourism development, and similar area 3. Social and personal competencies Social competence and intercultural communication skills Good reporting and writing skills Moderation skills 4. Languages Mandatory Kyrgyz (oral and written), Russian (oral and written) English (oral and written) 5. IT skills Mandatory Excellent knowledge of MS Office programmes Excellent SMM skills Graphic design skills (preferable)
